Half to james william nourbourn



UNITED STATES PAT NT @rrron.

ALBERT LATHAM, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- IIALF TO JAMES WILLIAM NOURBOURN, OF SAME PLACE.

EYELET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 577,435, dated February 23, 1897.

Application filed December 6, 1895. Serial No. 571,261. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT LATHAM, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Eyelets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to eyelets, and more particularly to eyelets having their exposed surfaces covered with a molded plastic material, such, for instance, as pyroxylin.

The object of this invention is mainly to provide upon the under surface of the head or overlying flange of the eyelet a projection, spur, tooth, or rib, one or more, which insures a more effectual firm and immovable setting of the eyelet upon the leather or other fabric upon which it is applied.

A secondary object of the invention is to provide a construction of eyelet (embodying a metallic body with a flaring head which is provided with a series of radial and downturned hooks or prongs) in which the extremities of the said hooks or prongs in the operation of applying the plastic covering material may be restrained by suitable engaging portions of the eyelet-covering dies from spreading or being unduly deflected either outwardly or inwardly to distort or affect the uniformity of the hook-like prongs or members of the metallic body and of the eyelethead, composed as a whole of the combined metal prongs and plastic material.

The present invention is especially applicable in the manufacture of eyelets substantially such as described and shown in Letters Patent of the United States granted to me August 13, 1895, No. 544,311, although the invention is not limited to such construction.

The invention consists of an eyelet having a metallic body and a top composed in part of several outwardly-extending and downturned metallic members or hooks, and a plastic-material covering overlying and engaged with said members, said overhanging top or head having at its base annular rib or ribs, essentially constituted by the extremities of said metallic members, although the rib projection may be in part a molded conformation of the plastic material between the separate metallic members.

The invention in respect of minor features and characteristics consists in the provision and formation of parts, all substantially as hereinafter fully described, and set forth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings,in which an actual and practical carrying out of the invention is illustrated, and in Which- Figure 1 is a plan View of the eyelet, a portion of the plastic covering material being shown as broken away for clearer illustration. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the eyelet. Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing the eyelet set upon the fabric. Figs. 5, 6, and 9 are sectional views illustrating variations in formation which are not departures from the invention. Figs. 7 and 8 are bottom plan views of forms of eyelets to be hereinafter referred to.

The upper part or head a of the metallic tubular body or clench-tube b of the eyelet, as shown, is constructed with the series of separate radial members 0 c, Which are downturned, whereby a surrounding series of marginal depending hooks are provided. The plastic material d is molded annularly about the head of the metallic eyelet-body by the employment of dies which I have perfected, and the base of the head is generally fiat and level with, as seen in Figs. 2 and 3, the annular rib f, constituted, as to alternating sections thereof, by the extremities 10 of the metallic hooked prongs, and as to the relatively intermediate sections 12 by the molded ribbed conformation of the plastic material.

In Figs. 2 and 3 the continuous depending 9o annular rib is of V form, while in Figs. 5 and 6 such rib is semicircular, either of these formations of the rib or other formations thereof being governed by the construction of the dies, which constitute the subject-matter of 5 an application for Letters Patent of the United. States filed by me under date of December 13, 1895, Serial No. 572,018.

In Fig. 5 it will be noticed that the portion of each metallic hook-like prong which con- :00

stitutes the rib (or a linear part thereof) is that next to the end of the prong, such end lying at or within the plane of the base of the eyelet-head.

In Fig. 6 it will be noticed that the end portion of each metallic hook'like prong constitutes the rib or a part thereof only as to a part of the width of the rib, for, as the same is seen transversely, a part of the width of the rib at the place of the prong is composed by the depending plastic material.

In Fig. 9 an annularly-corrugated surface is produced by the provision of two V channels or grooves.

In Fig. 7 the eyelet, in lieu of having a continuous annular rib, has a series of separated ribs, spurs, or depending projections, which, by the reference-numbers 10, are understood as constituted by the projecting and depending extremities of the hooked metallic prong, there being no intervening projecting sections of the plastic covering material, while in Fig. 8 the series of separated ribs, spurs, or depending projections there shown and represented by the number 12 are understood as constituted by the isolated depending projecting sections of the plastic covering material.

It will be perceived that the cross-seeti0nal contour of the plastic covering material for the top of the eyelet is approximately parabolic, with the crown or salient nearer the inner surface than the outer edge of the head. This provision accomplishes a useful and very desirable effectthat is, of imparting a smaller diametrical appearance to the covered eyelet than would occur were the crown or salient midway of the width of the covering or nearer the outer edge than the inner surface.

Covered eyelets have been considered objectionable owing to the apparent bulkiness thereof, but that objection is now successfully met. The parabolic transverse contour, or approximately such, also assures an ample quantity of the covering material over the metallic prongs at the place of the greatest wear.

Eyelets may be produced under this invention having depending base ribs, spurs, or projections otherwise than as illustrated, but inasmuch as several forms and modes of production of this feature have been illustrated and referred to it is not deemed advisable or necessary to describe each and all of the modifications of this characteristic which I have devised.

I claim- 1. An eyelet having a metallic body, the top of which is composed of several outwardly-extending and downturned members or hooks, and a plastic covering material overlying and engaged by said members-end portions of said hooked metallic members projecting below the surface of the base of the eyelet-head, substantially as described.

2. An eyelet consisting of a metallic body and a top composed in part of several outwardly-extending and depending hook members of the body and in part of a plastic covering overlying and engaged with said members, and having at the base of the overhanging surrounding top an annular rib in part constituted by portions of said metallic members, and in part by the molded conformation of the plastic material intermediate between said members, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of two witnesses, this 4th day of December, 1895.

ALBERT LATI'IAM. lVitnesses:

M. LATHAM, J. W. NOURBOURN. 

